[BigDaddyAdz]

I am trying to decide which is the best approach to street motard riding, the leg out or knee down approach? I am relatively inexperienced in supermoto and am trying to decide which style is the easiest to master and which is the best for cornering. It seems to me that for slower tighter corners the leg out is better and for faster sweeping corners the knee down. To contradict myself on a recent track day on the indie circuit at Brands when keeping my foot on the peg and attempting to get my knee down, (which i didn't) I found that my toe was scrapping the floor.

Any advice would be welcome.

 

[king karl]

putting your knee down is what girls who dont know better do

 

[SRM]

I personally think the 950 is more suited to knee down, but whatever suits you sir
I have a ruined pair of Dainese boots with the toe worn through along with the sliders and footrests, its good fun at the time

 

[blacksmith]

SM needs leg out, it's far more easy than knee down..
One common mistake tho is that ppl just put the leg out of the peg which ain't right.. you should put your foot next at the front axle..

Once you try it you will see how easy it would be

 

[Ell Tell]

Ive only ever really been on a SM. Went out on the 950 for the first time last night and its deffo leg out. Wouldnt want to have to stamp out a recovery on it though.

 

[Wailingalleycat]

Unless you are properly tanking it you look like a grade A cock trying to do either. So none.

When you are pushing the front to the limit and showering sports bikes in sparks from your pegs as you pass them, then you can stick your foot out. We have all seen the chavs on DT125 and mopeds doing it at 9mph and we've all laughed at them.

 

[BigDaddyAdz]

Are you all saying then that by sticking out your foot you can turn tighter, if so why? or get more lean on or recovery from a cock up?

 

[Wailingalleycat]

my understanding is that when the front tucks you can kick down and try to save it. I guess it helps judge lean angle in the same way as kneedown too.

 

[Griff]

I saw a vid of Gino Rae practicing both styles the other day and seeing which was faster

....found it

Welcome to Facebook

 

[Supatard]

As I see it, both techniques have their place. On longer off camber bends, I tend to hang off the inside with my knee out because I learned to ride that way and it feels right. And on the tight corners the boot comes out allowing me to just keep tipping the bike in far beyond what I could if I were hanging off the side of it. And yes, on several occasions now, the front end has gone on a wet roundabout or similar, and a quick stomp of the boot has set it all right. I don't think there is a one style fits all solution. So find out what works for you and enjoy. And do be careful experimenting with boot out. Ppl have caught their foot and broken bones.

 

[swettybob]

I do the same - Long sweeping bends is a knee down & tight twisties is a leg out !

 

[Crispy]

I don't do either?! The knee pops out a bit but I hang off the bike of longer stuff. On the twister and tighter stuff I seem to just move forward slightly over the front to help turn in. I tried the foot out thing but it felt really unnatural.

 

[DavidS]

Bolt upright with everything possible hanging onto or gripping the bike and a look of total fear in the eyes - I thought that was normal.

I do put my leg out when I stop though .

 

[Jetty]

I'm so bloody short that if I were to put my knee down, I would already be lying on the deck! Is it not so that the foot comes out, in line(or as close to) the front spindle in order to put more weight on the front wheel, thus more grip???

 

[blacksmith]

You don't add weight by putting your leg out, you just change the bike's balance point

 

[Jetty]

Oh yeeahh.....Kinda meant that! How on Earth can you actually add weight whilst riding! ....Moving weight sounds better perhaps.

 

[blacksmith]

How on Earth can you actually add weight whilst riding!

Actually you can.. with brakes but that is a total different story..

Moving weight sounds better perhaps.

 

[Jetty]

No...No...I meant actually adding weight....Like picking up ....mud....for example....Or indeed losing weight like, actually crapping yourself so that the pooh actually leaves you and the bike. Usually we only lose weight by using up petrol. Get me drift?? I get the leg and brakes being weight shifting devices.

Perhaps I am becoming a bit too ridiculous and pedantic....

 

[blacksmith]

I know what you meant, don't worry
Loosing weight because you shite your ya self didn't occur to me.. it's a way tho lol

Yes, you are becoming..
Keep the theory in your mind but go out and practice, practice and again practice!
This is the only way to figure out what is more suitable for you and how you can apply the theory to your riding..

 

[simmo]

my understanding is that when the front tucks you can kick down and try to save it. I guess it helps judge lean angle in the same way as kneedown too.

Which is great if it's a 135kg LC4, but not the thing to do with 195kg LC8. Driuds is best taken knee down IMHO